WHOIS Lookup

About the whois lookup

WHOIS is the long-standing protocol for querying who registered a domain and how it is currently configured at the registry level; this tool uses RDAP, its structured JSON-based successor, which returns the same kind of data in a consistent, machine-readable format instead of registrar-specific free text that varies widely in layout. A typical result includes the registrar, the creation and expiry dates, the current nameservers on file, and a set of EPP status codes that describe locks and states applied to the domain, such as whether transfers are currently blocked or the domain is in a grace period after expiry.

Registrant contact details are usually redacted. Most registrars mask personal WHOIS data by default under privacy regulations, showing a registrar or privacy-service proxy instead; the abuse contact, which every registrar is required to publish, is the reliable way to reach someone about a domain regardless of what personal details are redacted. EPP status codes are worth reading carefully: clientTransferProhibited is a routine, often intentional lock most domains carry, while pendingDelete or redemptionPeriod signal the domain is in the final stages of expiring and will soon become available for anyone to register.

Two of those status codes are worth acting on rather than merely reading. clientTransferProhibited is the registrar lock that stops a domain being transferred away without you unlocking it first, and a domain without it is one compromised registrar login away from being gone; turning it on takes one click in almost every registrar's control panel and costs nothing. clientUpdateProhibited does the same for changes to the domain's own records, including its nameservers, and is worth adding to any domain whose configuration is stable. We report a domain missing the transfer lock as a failure for that reason.

The dates deserve the same treatment. An expired domain does not become available immediately: it usually passes through an auto-renew grace period of up to forty-five days, then a redemption period of roughly thirty days during which only the previous registrant can recover it and only at a substantially higher fee, then around five days of pendingDelete before it is released to anyone. Catching an expiry at the thirty-day mark is a renewal; catching it at the redemption stage is an expensive recovery; missing it entirely means someone else can register your domain and receive your mail.

Because RDAP responses are structured JSON rather than registrar-specific free text, the same fields appear in a consistent shape regardless of which registry or registrar is involved, which makes automated monitoring and comparison across many domains far more reliable than parsing traditional WHOIS output ever was. A small number of country-code registries still answer only over the older WHOIS protocol; where RDAP has no data for a domain we say the registration data was unavailable rather than reporting an empty result as a clean one.

Common questions

Why is the owner's information hidden?

Most registrars redact personal registrant data by default under privacy regulations. Use the abuse or registrar contact shown in the result instead of looking for a personal name.

What do EPP status codes mean?

They describe locks and states applied to a domain. clientTransferProhibited is a routine, often intentional lock; pendingDelete or redemptionPeriod means the domain is close to expiring for good.

What is RDAP?

The structured, JSON-based successor to the older WHOIS protocol, returning consistent machine-readable data instead of registrar-specific free text.

Why do some fields say 'redacted for privacy'?

That is the registrar's privacy service masking the registrant's personal contact details in compliance with data protection regulations, not an error or missing data on the registry's part.

Which locks should I have on?

clientTransferProhibited on every domain, which blocks transfers until you deliberately unlock. Add clientUpdateProhibited on domains whose nameservers and records rarely change. Both are free and set in your registrar's control panel.

My domain expired. How long do I have?

Typically an auto-renew grace period of up to forty-five days, then about thirty days of redemption where only you can recover it at a much higher fee, then roughly five days of pendingDelete before it is released. Recover it in the grace period if you possibly can.